Who is Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia


Launched in September 2012, the Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia (ABCA) is the national coordinating organisation for the Australian agricultural biotechnology sector.

ABCA’s vision is that the current and potential benefits of agricultural biotechnology are fully recognised to ensure that the Australian farming sector can access and adopt this technology for the benefit of national and global food security, the nation’s farming sector, and the environment, thus helping to deliver a more sustainable and prosperous future for Australian agriculture.

ABCA’s mission is to ensure that the public policy and regulatory environment is guided by scientifically credible and factually correct information regarding the full benefits that agricultural biotechnology offers to Australian farming as the world’s farming sector seeks to double production to meet the food and nutritional requirements of the growing global population. ABCA’s mission is guided by this global food security challenge and the role that Australian agriculture can play in recognising that farmers will need access to the full range of modern innovative tools to maximise the output of our existing farming land while ensuring that the natural environment is protected, conserved and enhanced.

ABCA’s objectives are to:

  • Act as a national coordinating organisation for the Australian agricultural biotechnology sector.
  • Increase public awareness of, and encourage informed debate about, biotechnology and, specifically, gene technology, and its applications in agriculture.
  • Provide the public, particularly farmers, with credible, balanced, science-based information on biotechnology, in order to enable them to make informed decisions about the application, uses and future of gene technology in Australia.
  • Provide research and information which places biotechnology and gene technology into context, as another tool, option and technology available to Australian agriculture.
  • Encourage and share research to ensure a better understanding of the benefits that agricultural biotechnology can offer.

Members and partners

Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia is a Company Limited by Guarantee with three supporting members:

AusBiotech represents and supports individual biotech companies, special interest groups and the Australian biotechnology industry as a whole. AusBiotech represents its members by providing expertise as industry advocates and committee members on all biotech steering committees; as well as providing industry submissions to policy review panels at both government and corporate levels.

CropLife Australia which represents the developers, registrants, manufacturers and formulators of plant science solutions for use in agriculture and the management of pests in other settings. As the industry’s peak representative body, CropLife Australia leads industry efforts to ensure a science based, efficient and effective regulatory and policy environment that supports innovation and encourages high quality products.

National Farmers’ Federation Ltd (NFF) is the peak national body representing farmers, and more broadly, agriculture across Australia. The NFF is dedicated to representing the interests of the farm sector to governments and the broader community, and to proactively building a greater understanding and awareness of agriculture’s role, contribution and value to the Australian economy, society and environment.
Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia’s activities are also supported through a project partnership with the red meat industry.

Resource material

ABCA has available an extensive collection of information materials to enhance informed decision-making. If you would like to be included on the ABCA mailing list to receive information materials and event notifications please subscribe to our mailing list below.